NIGERIA : Anambra State and its upcoming Poll

THE STATE OF THE NATION POLITICAL ARENA

Anambra Poll:

* Court Halts Okorie-led APGA,

*PDP knows fate today as Bankole, delegates arrive Awka

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The Chekwas Okorie-led faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) yesterday had its plans to conduct its state congress with a view to producing the party’s candidate for the February 6, 2010 governorship election thwarted by an Anambra State High Court.
The court restrained the faction from organising a primary election pending the determination of a substantive motion before it.
The faction had been controversially recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to contest the poll ahead of the Chief Victor Umeh group which the incumbent governor, Mr. Peter Obi, belongs to.
Yesterday’s order was given by Justice O. M. Anyachebelu pursuant to an application by Onyechi Ikpeagu (SAN), counsel to APGA, Umeh and Alhaji Sani Shikanfi, all plaintiffs against Okorie and seven other defendants.
In granting the order pursuant to section 6 (6) of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Justice Anyachebelu restrained the defendants from holding or purporting to hold a state congress of APGA or any purported meeting of APGA on the 7th of October, 2009 (today) or any other date, for the purpose of holding primary election to elect or select a candidate for the office of governor of Anambra State pending the determination of the substantive motion or until the court otherwise orders or the order otherwise lapses.
The court ruled: “The 1st defendant by himself, agents, privies, servants, assigns or delegates or howsoever, is hereby restrained from forwarding or purporting to forward the name of any person as the candidate of APGA to any relevant authority for the office of Governor of Anambra State in the 2010 governorship election pending the determination of the motion on notice or until the court otherwise orders or the order otherwise lapses.”
The court directed that its orders be served on the defendants by publishing same in a national newspaper and by conspicuously pasting same at the office address of the defendants.
The motion on notice was adjourned to the 12th of October for hearing and further proceedings.
Meanwhile, the issue of whom the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will pick as its candidate for the February 6, 2009 governorship election may become clearer today as an Awka High Court is expected to make a definite pronouncement on the troubled congress of the party.
The High Court will listen to the motion filed by the party to vacate its earlier order not to hold a state congress – which has led to a state of uncertainly as the Friday, October 9, 2009 deadline for the nomination of candidates closes in.
The candidate would have been elected at the congress which was stopped by Justice B. A. Nnakenyi, who asked the PDP not to hold it as scheduled on October 2 because of a petition brought before him by one of the aggrieved delegate aspirants, Probity Adibe.
The National Legal Adviser of PDP, Chief Olusola Okeh, told THISDAY that the party would file a motion before a High Court Judge in Awka today for him to vacate the injunction after the party.
He also said that the case had been transferred to Awka from Aguata, although THISDAY could not confirm it.
According to Okeh, “if the injunction becomes successful, then the party would conduct its state congress in Awka to elect its governorship candidate.”
The National Chairman, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, told newsmen in Abuja Monday that the party would beat the deadline set by INEC.
However, if the party is unable to get the court to vacate the injunction today, THISDAY learnt that it may unilaterally pick one candidate from among the 47 aspirants to be the party’s flag bearer.
It was also gathered that the National Working Committee (NWC) had been making series of consultations on how to ensure a smooth consensus that would not ruffle feathers within the party.
According to a court order obtained by a delegate aspirant, Adibe, against the party and the Speaker of the House of Representative, Hon. Oladimeji Bankole, Justice Nnakaenyi of the Aguata Judicial Division on September 30 restrained PDP from conducting the October 2 state congress as planned. The case has since been adjourned to Monday, October 12, 2009.
In calling off the state congress, the National Legal Adviser of PDP said: “As a party that believes and operates within the rule of law, we have decided to call off the state congress temporarily. We have also decided to take legal steps towards discharging the court order to allow the exercise to resume.
“The legal process of vacating the court order has commenced.”
According to him, “We believe that the court order ought not to have been given by the court in the first place. The court order is very unfortunate and we also believe that it is unfortunate that a court will grant an ex-parte order to a project that is of national importance like this.”
Meanwhile, Speaker Bankole arrived Awka yesterday in anticipation of the congress which he is expected to conduct.
Already, delegates from the various local government areas of the state have arrived the state capital, awaiting directives from the party on how the congress will be conducted.
Also, the National Vice-Chairman of PDP for the South-east, Chief Olisa Metu, yesterday said Hon. Uche Ekwunife of the House of Representatives was not among the governorship aspirants that collected the governorship form.
Metu said Chief Susan Ekwunife is different from Hon. Ekwunife, explaining also that both of them are from Njikoka/Dunukofia/Anaocha Federal Constituency, while Susan Ekwunife is from the South Senatorial District

Curled from the THISDAY NEWSPAPER.....

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